Wafer Food Pantry
TYPE SOLAR FOR NONPROFITS
SIZE 87 KW
LOCATION LA CROSSE, WI
PROGRAM SOLAR MOONSHOT
YEAR 2023
FUNDING GRANT
The Project
WAFER Food Pantry, the largest pantry serving La Crosse County, has taken a big step toward its sustainability goals with the installation of an 87 kW solar system on their building. WAFER Food Pantry is dedicated to solving and eliminating hunger by providing food to about 1,600 families (approximately 3,000 people) every month. In 2022 alone, WAFER distributed nearly 18,000 food packages, equalling over 1.3 million meals and totaling 1.6 million pounds of food.
WAFER Food Pantry's services include a backpack program for a rural school district, a senior food program, and a retro-fitted bus that reaches 19 locations in the county. WAFER is committed to addressing hunger-related needs with tailored services and care while collaborating with other partners in the space that are working together to alleviate food insecurity.
BQuest proudly supports Hammond Climate Solution's Solar Moonshot Program with individual grants that help nonprofit organizations across the United States afford the switch to clean energy. With the help of BQuest's grant through the Solar Moonshot Program and additional support, Wafer Food Pantry has installed an 87 kW solar system that will offer significant cost savings. Wafer Food Pantry intends to use the funds that they're saving on utilities to purchase more food for the community.
What They Are Saying
“Everyone at Wafer is so excited to finally see a solar array at our new facility! This will allow us to offset much of the environmental impact of storing, processing and distributing food at the pantry. It will also offset energy expenses, which allows us to be better stewards of monetary donations and support the mission of providing direct service to people in need.”
- Erin Waldhart, Executive Director
The Impact
1,683
METRIC TONS C02 MITIGATED
$200,000
LIFETIME SAVINGS
Carbon Equivalencies
375
Number of gasoline-powered cars off the road for 1 year
1,885,354
Avoided emissions from burning 1,885,354 pounds of coal
2,007
Carbon sequestered by 2,007 acres of forest in 1 year